KR100495051B1 - Method for cutting glass and apparatus for the same - Google Patents

Abstract

Glass cutting method and apparatus of the present invention to ensure that the laser beam irradiated to the glass to be processed has a front end of the low energy density and the rear end of the high energy density so that the glass is preheated and then heated when irradiating the laser beam to maximize the thermal shock By dividing the sections of the glass, controlling the moving speed and the energy of the laser beam so as to be suitable for the thermal stress distribution for each section, thereby improving the quality of the glass cut surface and quickly cutting the glass.

Description

Method for cutting glass and apparatus for the same}

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for cutting glass, and more particularly, in cutting glass using a laser and a coolant, by varying the speed and energy of the laser beam and by changing the shape of the laser beam. It relates to a glass cutting method and apparatus that can improve the quality of the.

Representative apparatus for cutting the glass is a glass cutting device using a laser, the laser glass cutting device is heated by heating the glass surface immediately after irradiating an oval, U-shaped, V-shaped laser beam to the glass by spraying the coolant To cut.

The conventional glass cutting method by the temperature gradient shown in FIG. 1A is a method of cutting the glass by spraying the coolant 3 after heating the glass 2 below the melting temperature by using the laser 1, and FIG. 1B. Shows the glass 2 'cut | disconnected by the said glass cutting method.

 In the conventional glass cutting method shown in Fig. 2a, the glass tube 2b is etched with gold, and the glass tube is heated with an elliptical laser beam using a laser 1b and then cooled with a cotton cloth 3b soaked in water. As a method of cutting (2b), FIG. 2B shows the glass 2b 'cut | disconnected by the said glass cutting method.

In the conventional glass cutting method shown in Fig. 3, the glass 2c is heated by using a laser 1c that irradiates an elliptical laser beam, and then the portion heated by the fluid refrigerant 3c is cooled to cool the glass 2c. ) Is a method of cutting.

The conventional laser glass cutting method shown in FIG. 4 relates to a method of cutting the glass 2d into a curved shape using a laser 1d and a coolant 3d for irradiating a U- or V-shaped laser beam. .

In the conventional laser glass cutting device as described above, the glass is heated by irradiating an oval, U, or V-shaped laser beam with glass to heat the glass surface, and then spraying liquid or gas onto the heated glass to cool the heated portion. Cut.

On the other hand, before cutting the glass 2, as shown in Fig. 5, the notch is drawn to the beginning or the end of the glass 2 to be cut using the diamond wheel 4.

Subsequently, the glass 2 is heated by irradiating a laser beam while advancing the laser 1 at a constant speed into the glass 2 having the notched lines, and while a coolant injector is advanced at a constant speed, a coolant ( 3) is sprayed to cut the glass (2).

That is, in the case of a conventional laser glass cutting device by heating the glass by irradiating a laser beam of a constant energy while moving the laser at a constant speed along the cut line of the glass, by spraying a coolant on the heated portion to cool the glass by , Cut the glass. However, the tip section, the center section and the end section of the glass to be cut have a constant energy laser beam moving from the tip section to the end section of the glass at a constant speed, even though the heat stress distribution in each section is different. Since the glass is heated by irradiating onto the glass, there is a problem that the cut surface of the glass is irregularly formed, and in particular, there is a problem that the cutting of the glass is not easily achieved in the leading end section and the end section of the glass.

In addition, when the energy density of the laser beam irradiated to the glass in the tip section and the tip section is excessive, the glass surface is heated rapidly, and the cut surface of the glass is damaged due to thermal shock. There was a time-consuming problem.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems of the prior art, the glass can be cut quickly and precisely by varying the moving speed and energy of the laser beam irradiated to the glass for each section of the glass to be cut It is to provide a cutting method and apparatus.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a glass cutting method and apparatus capable of obtaining a good cut surface by equalizing the thermal shock generated on the glass surface when irradiating a laser beam onto the glass.

Glass cutting method and apparatus according to the present invention for solving the above problems is a first to heat the glass by irradiating a laser beam to the virtual cutting line while moving the laser beam along the virtual cutting line of the glass to be cut And a second step of cutting the glass by injecting a coolant into the heated glass, wherein the glass is divided into a leading section, an intermediate section, and an end section along an imaginary cutting line. The moving speed and energy of the laser beam is gradually increased from the tip section to the middle section of the glass, and gradually decreases from the middle section to the end section of the glass.

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Glass cutting method according to the present invention for solving the above problems, the glass cutting method comprising the step of irradiating a laser beam along a virtual cutting line of the glass to be cut, wherein the virtual cutting line is at least 2 It is divided into at least one section, wherein at least one of the sections is composed of a plurality of subsections, characterized in that the energy of the laser beam is different from each other in each of the plurality of subsections. The movement speed of the laser beam is different from each other in each of the small sections. The imaginary cut line is divided into a leading section, an intermediate section, and an end section. It is characterized in that the two shapes are formed in combination. Glass cutting device according to the present invention for solving the above problems. In the glass cutting device comprising a beam generating unit for irradiating a laser beam along a virtual cut line on the glass to be cut, the virtual cut line is divided into at least two or more sections, at least one of the sections Is characterized by comprising means for controlling the beam generator so that the energy magnitude of the laser beam is different from each other in each of the plurality of small sections. An example will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The laser beam 12a irradiated from the notched beam generation unit 12, the laser beam 13a irradiated from the first cut beam generation unit 13, the coolant 14a injected by the coolant injector 14, The shape of the image in which the laser beam 15a irradiated from the 2nd cutting beam generation part 15 was formed in the glass 11, respectively, is shown in FIG.

The notch beam generating unit 12 forms a notch on the glass 11 to be processed by a non-contact etching process using the short wavelength laser beam 12a. The first cutting beam generator 13, the coolant injector 14, and the second cutting beam generator 15 are integrally moved by known means along the imaginary cut line of the glass 11 in which the notches are formed. do.

Here, as shown in FIG. 10, the laser beam 13a irradiated from the first cutting beam generator 13 to the glass 11 is formed in a key hole shape by a combination of laser lenses. The glass 11 is heated.

In addition, the keyhole laser beam 13a is divided into a front end portion 131 and a rear end portion 132 according to the cutting progress direction of glass, and the front end portion 131 is formed in a circular shape and the rear end portion 132 is formed. Is formed into a rectangle. The ratio (ø / a) of the length ø of the front end 131 to the length a of the rear end 132 is preferably 0.2 to 0.5, and is equal to the width b of the rear end 132. The ratio (? / B) of the width? Of the front end portion 131 to 2 is preferably 5 to 5. The density of the energy of the laser beam of the front end 131 is appropriately 40% to 80% of the density of the energy of the laser beam of the rear end 130. Therefore, when the laser beam 13a is irradiated on the glass, the energy density of the front end portion 131 is smaller than the energy density of the rear end portion 132, so that the glass is preheated by the front end portion 131 of the laser beam 132. Then, since it is heated to a high temperature by the rear end 132, the tensile stress on the glass surface is increased to improve the cutting speed.

On the other hand, the coolant 14a injected from the coolant injector 14 to the glass 11 passes through the keyhole laser beam 13a in a long hole shape to increase the cooling effect of the glass 11. After 0.1 to 0.5 seconds, the glass 11 is sprayed. After the coolant 14a is injected, the glass 11 is formed with a subcooled area at the center where the coolant 14a is injected, and a cooling area around the glass 11.

The second cutting beam generator 15 emits a coolant 14a and irradiates the laser beam 15a with the first cut glass 11 so that the glass 11 is heated to completely cut the glass. do.

The cut line of the glass 11 is the beginning of the cut portion of the glass 11 by a short wavelength laser beam that is well absorbed by the glass 11 irradiated from the cut line beam generating unit 12 as shown in FIG. And ends are formed. In particular, the present invention is a non-contact glass cutting device that does not contact with the glass, so even when used for a long time there is no fear of falling straightness when forming the notched line is also applied to the intersection of the cutting line is particularly advantageous for cutting the intersection.

In addition, the short wavelength laser beam is a laser beam having a wavelength between 100 nm and 600 nm, and the shorter the wavelength, the better the absorption is due to the absorption of the glass 11. If the wavelength is longer than 600 nm, as illustrated in FIG. 7, the surface of the glass 11 is coated with paint to absorb the short wavelength laser beam well.

In addition, by using a highly vaporizable material as a coolant for cooling the glass 11 to be cut first after the glass 11 is heated, it improves the cooling effect compared to the conventional gas coolant and at the same time coolant after cooling Do not allow residues of to vaporize immediately in the air.

As the highly vaporizable solid coolant, a substance which changes to a solid state when a liquid substance is sprayed into the air, such as solid carbonate particles (dry ice) generated when the liquid carbonic acid is sprayed into the air, is used.

If the coolant is a liquid coolant that does not vaporize immediately, the coolant injector 14 is installed next to the coolant removing means 14 ′ to heat the liquid coolant remaining on the glass surface, thereby cutting the first cut of the glass 11. At the same time, the remaining liquid coolant can be evaporated.

As the coolant removing unit 14 ′, an additional beam generator or an air heater and a strong suction device may be used.

 In order to improve the cutting quality of the glass, the glass cutting device divides a section of the tip, the center, and the end of the cut portion of the glass 11 into a plurality of small sections as necessary, and then irradiates the respective small sections. By cutting the glass 11 by controlling the energy of the laser beam, the injection amount of the coolant to be injected, the moving speed of the laser beam, and the laser focus length, the quality of the start and end of the glass 11 is improved. In addition, the glass 11 is cut quickly.

In order to control the energy, the moving speed of the laser beam, and the injection amount of the coolant for each section as described above, the glass cutting device of the present invention, as shown in Figure 12, the pulse generator 16 for changing the energy of the laser beam, Flow rate controller 17 for adjusting the flow rate of the coolant injected from the coolant spraying means 14, and a drive unit for adjusting the moving speed of the laser beam and the distance between the beam generator 13 and the glass 11 ( 18 and a control unit 19 which can control the respective devices 16, 17 and 18 by exchanging signals to change output values of the pulse generator 16, the flow regulator 17 and the driving unit 18. )

The glass to be cut in order to change the moving speed and energy of the laser beam for each section of the present invention is divided into a tip section, a center section, and an end section along the length direction of the glass to be cut, and the tip section is 2-4 small. Section, the center section is divided into 1-2 small section and the end section is divided into 1-3 small section. The length of the tip section is set to include 10-80 mm, the end section is 20-60 mm, and the center section includes all of the remaining sections except for the tip section and the end section.

The control of the laser beam for each section is such that the moving speed and energy density of the laser beam increases from the peak section to the middle section, and the moving speed and energy density of the laser beam decreases from the middle section to the end section.

On the other hand, the moving speed and energy density of the laser beam in each small section is constant, and the energy density of the laser beam in each section changes in proportion to the moving speed of the laser beam.

In other words, due to the difference in the thermal stress distribution during heating, the glass can be moved slowly while irradiating a small energy laser beam in the tip section and end section of glass, which is difficult to heat and cut, and increases the energy and moving speed of the laser beam toward the middle section. In order to improve the cutting quality of the glass and to cut the glass quickly.

The energy of the laser beam is adjusted within the range of 10W-150W according to the position of the section, and the moving speed is adjusted within the range of 1mm / s to 200mm / s.

13 is a diagram illustrating a change in speed of a laser beam for each section according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

In the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 13, the total length of the glass to be cut is 300 mm, and the glass is divided into a tip section A, an intermediate section B, and an end section C, and the tip section. (A) is divided into four subsections having a length of 20 mm, the middle section (B) is divided into two subsections having a length of 120 mm and 60 mm, and the end section (C) has a length of 20 mm. It is divided into two subsections.

As shown in FIG. 13, the moving speed and the energy of the laser beam are controlled to gradually increase toward the section B 'in the section A' and gradually decrease toward the section C2 in the section B '.

Glass cutting method and apparatus of the present invention to ensure that the laser beam irradiated to the glass to be processed has a front end of the low energy density and the rear end of the high energy density to maximize the thermal shock generated in the glass upon irradiation of the laser beam, By dividing the sections to control the moving speed and energy of the laser beam to fit the thermal stress distribution for each section,

There is an effect to improve the quality of the glass cut surface and to perform the cutting of the glass quickly.

1A and 1B are perspective views illustrating a first example of a conventional glass cutting device and a cutting example thereof;

2A and 2B are perspective views showing a second example of a conventional glass cutting device and a cutting example thereof;

3 is a perspective view showing a third example of a conventional glass cutting device;

4 is a perspective view showing a fourth example of a conventional glass cutting device,

5 is a perspective view showing a diamond wheel of a conventional glass cutting device,

6,7 is a perspective view showing a notch beam generating portion of the glass cutting device according to the present invention,

8 is a perspective view showing a glass cutting device according to the present invention,

9 is a plan view showing an image formed on the glass due to the glass cutting device according to the present invention,

10 is an enlarged plan view of an image of a laser beam irradiated onto glass in the beam generator of the glass cutting device according to the present invention;

11 is a perspective view showing a glass cutting device according to another embodiment of the present invention,

12 is a perspective view showing a glass cutting device according to another embodiment of the present invention,

13 is a graph showing the change in the speed and energy of the laser beam in accordance with the glass section by the glass cutting method according to the present invention

<Explanation of symbols on main parts of the drawings>

11: glass 12: notched beam generating part

13: first cutting beam generating unit 13a: laser beam

14 coolant injection means 15 second cutting beam generating unit

Claims (16)

In the glass cutting method comprising the step of irradiating a laser beam along a virtual cutting line of the glass to be cut, The virtual cutting line is divided into at least two sections, at least one of the sections is composed of a plurality of small sections, The method of cutting glass, characterized in that the energy of the laser beam is different from each other in the plurality of small sections. The method of claim 1, Glass cutting method, characterized in that the movement speed of the laser beam is different from each other in the plurality of small sections. The method of claim 1, The virtual cutting line is a glass cutting method characterized in that divided into a leading section, a middle section and the end section. The method of claim 3, wherein The length of the tip section is a glass cutting method, characterized in that 10-80mm. The method according to claim 3 or 4, The length of the end section is a glass cutting method, characterized in that 20-60mm. The method of claim 1, The shape of the laser beam is a glass cutting method, characterized in that formed by combining two shapes. The method of claim 6, The shape of the laser beam, the front end is circular, the rear end is a glass cutting method, characterized in that the rectangular shape. The method according to claim 6 or 7, And the laser beam has a key hole shape. In the glass cutting device comprising a beam generator for irradiating a laser beam along a virtual cut line on the glass to be cut, When the virtual cutting line is divided into at least two or more sections, at least one of the sections consists of a plurality of small sections, And a means for controlling the beam generator so that the energy magnitude of the laser beam is different from each other in the plurality of small sections. The method of claim 9, The glass cutting device is a glass cutting device, characterized in that the movement speed of the laser beam is different from each other in the plurality of small sections. The method of claim 9, The virtual cutting line is a glass cutting device, characterized in that configured to be divided into a tip section, a middle section and the end section. The method of claim 11, The length of the tip section is a glass cutting device, characterized in that 10-80mm. The method of claim 11, The length of the end section is a glass cutting device, characterized in that 20-60mm. The method of claim 9, The shape of the laser beam is a glass cutting device, characterized in that the combination of the two shapes are configured. The method of claim 9, And a front end of the laser beam is circular, and a rear end of the laser beam is configured to have a rectangular shape. The method according to claim 14 or 15, The shape of the laser beam is a glass cutting device, characterized in that the key hole (key hole) shape.